A high-school gym is the last place you'd expect to find that perfect holiday outfit.
This evening and all day tomorrow, however, sequins and lace will be on the scoreboard at Sentinel secondary's gymnasium when the school hosts a sale of formal wear in support of The Cinderella Project.
The fundraiser is being organized by the school's student-led Cinderella Club. The club has about 30 members in grades 8 through 12, according to Shannon Gray, who oversees club activities with fellow teacher sponsors Megan Gray and Shelley-Ann Curtin. Students Alina Salemohamed, Nicole Hui, Emma Choo, Karina Furuya and Hannah Robinovitch make up the club's executive this year.
The club raises money through bake sales and other school events to support the Vancouver-based Cinderella Project, a federal charity that provides underprivileged high school graduates with formal attire so they can attend their graduation festivities with pride.
Throughout the year, the Cinderella Project collects donations of new and used formal wear. Each spring, organizers hold a "boutique day" in a downtown ballroom and invite underprivileged high-school graduates - "cinderel-las" and "cinderfellas" - from across the Lower Mainland to select their graduation outfits and celebrate their achievements.
The 600 dresses for sale at Sentinel this weekend are surplus donations, said Cinderella Project co-founder Heather MacKenzie. The project will use proceeds from this first-ever sale to purchase in-demand items such as suits for young men, gowns in plus sizes and customized formal wear for young people with physical challenges.
"What we are selling are the dresses that we were blessed to have an abundance of," said MacKenzie. "Because we right now don't have items that we need for some of our user groups, (the sale) is the only way to be able to help certain kids."
Gowns in the sale are size 12 and smaller. "For us, we need to be able to outfit girls who are in all sizes, from a zero to a 32," said MacKenzie. In addition, "Many of the dresses are fantastic party dresses, they're just not grad material."
Teacher Shannon Gray said the gowns are perfect holiday attire for teens and older. "I'm sitting next to four racks of them right now in my office," Gray said Wednesday, as students prepared for the sale. "They're (suitable for) all ages, all styles - full length, long dresses, some are more cocktail party, short fun dresses. It's a very eclectic range."
With prices starting at $10, there are some amazing bargains. Organizers are hoping the gowns will brighten the holidays for young women who otherwise could not afford to dress up for the holidays, including teens who do not qualify for Cinderella Project support but are struggling nonetheless.
And while the frou-frou and frills may leave dress shoppers with the impression that the Cinderella Project is concerned only with appearances, MacKenzie said it's not simply about the clothes that are worn on graduation night.
Students who are referred to the Cinderella Project by their teachers, principals or social workers participate in "boutique day" as a day of recognition and self-esteem boosting.
"It's about the mentorship and the one-on-one support that helps these kids who are so marginalized and so bullied and so challenged to realize that they are fantastic and valuable and that we want them to have every opportunity for success."
To that end, proceeds from the dress sale will also help to fund bursaries and awards that enable project participants to pursue post-secondary education, added MacKenzie.
The sale runs Friday, Nov. 30, 6-9 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 1, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. in the gymnasium at Sentinel secondary, 1250 Chartwell, Dr., West Vancouver.
The Cinderella Project will accept donations starting in January. For project details, including drop-off locations for dress donations, visit thecinderellaproject.com.
